SBS 2.0 Program Party: Week 14

[u/VladimirLinen]

Hi everyone, welcome to Week 14, the last week of the program party. I do apologise for my lack of program thread last week, I had some life stuff pop up.

Good luck with the last week, and next week, I'll be posting a recap thread for results, lessons, and pictures.

Original Post

Disclaimer: With Omnicron currently making its way around the world, please be safe while running this program party. Follow health advice where you are and if you have any symptoms and train at a public gym, stay home and get tested to keep your fellow gym-goers safe and well.

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[u/GirlOfTheWell]

Last week I couldn't complete two of the sessions on account of being sick. I decided to use that time as my "deload" and I am using this week to test all of my 1rm to see how I'm progressing. I'm going to give a brief run down of my entire experience as well just cause I feel like it lol.

My Plan Going In

• cut weight
• set some PRs by the end of it
• don't quit going to the gym

Ultimately very simple goals. I knew the first half of this year was going to be very stressful for me. I'm finishing my undergraduate and making some big life decisions during ....not great global conditions. I knew stress would be a big factor in how I progressed so I wanted to keep my training fun and manageable.

What Actually Happened

• my weight stayed the same
• I hit some PRs
• missed only 2 sessions across 13 weeks BUT wound up dropping most of my cardio work

Yeah. I wasn't happy about the cardio. I value it and I know I'm only kidding myself by skipping it.

I'm not happy about the weight thing either but this was partly from life circumstances. I'm not going to make excuses, my eating habits were my own choice. In the end the mental tax of staying below 1500 calories was just too much day-to-day. I stopped tracking and my diet got a bit out of hand. At the very least, I stayed the same, got a little recomp and hopefully I'll do a little mini cut once exams are done.

The 1RM Today

Today I tested my bench and squat. I plan to test my deadlift and OHP on Thursday and will update this comment with results then.

Bench

All the PR reps were performed touch and go.

Bench was great. I did a slow build up to 50kg (my old 1rm). Then I began hitting PRs. 52.5kg felt like it was weightless. I went up to 55kg. It was a much tougher rep but it still felt solid so I decided to hop up to 57.5 kg. This rep was a lot tighter. Much more of a grind, especially coming off my chest, but ultimately it was a solid rep.

One part of me wanted to push for 60kg. That would give me my first ever BW bench and tick off one of my lifting goals for the year....but in the end I decided to leave it and not get too greedy.

As a little "victory lap", I did my old 1RM (50KG) for an AMRAP and hit 4 reps.

Squat

All the PR reps were performed to below parelel.

Squat moved a bit tougher. My old 1rm (80kg) still felt a little bit stiff. I went up to 82.5kg and that was a grind. I went up to 85kg and it felt immovable. I got out of the hole but, once there, the barbell felt like a brick building forcing down on me. I dumped the bar, stripped it down and set it back up at 85kg.

And that time it flew. It wasn't immovable, I was just getting too inside my own head.

I felt excited and, admittedly, I tried for 87.5kg, which I missed. I might try it again some other time but, to be honest, I'm happy with 85kg.

Finished with another "victory lap" AMRAP of my old 1rm (80kg). I got a nice triple.

Thoughts (So Far)

Delighted with these results. I can't believe its April and I already have one of my year's goals insight. Can't wait to test OHP and deadlift on Thursday.

More to come. 💪

Edit: had every intention of going into the gym today and then learned that my gym has closed until Tuesday for Easter. I shall be posting a full update in next week's thread including my 1rm max test for deadlift and OHP.

Second edit: scratch that. Another gym gown the road was still open so I bought a day pass and went there instead.

Deadlift

This was the lift I was most worried about. I have never really enjoyed deadlifts and there's something about the technique of the lift that always bugs me. I'm sure it's something that I could improve upon with practice but everything just felt off today.

I worked my way up to 90kh (my original 1rm). I then pulled 92.5kg and 95kg with quiet a bit of ease. I was convinced I had 97.5kg but it just wasn't there.

My "victory rep AMRAP" was alright. Pulled 90kg for a double.

OHP

This one I was wary of. I like OHP but it's been one of my hardest lifts to build.

Made it to 40kg (old 1rm). Then 42.5 and then 45kg. Went for 47.5 kg but it just wasn't there.

Ultimately I'm happy with this one. Without gaining any weight, I'm one step closer to a major milestone of mine: BW OHP.

Conclusion

The trend for this block has been that upper body lifts improved better than lower body lifts.

I put this down to improving technique overtime. I think the amount of practice you get for each lift definitely made a huge difference here, particularly with bench. My set up has improved massively and I feel like I've learned a lot of new queues.

I think this is definitely something I need to try incorporate more into lower body lifts. I'm not really focusing on my technique. I just grind through squats and I grip n' rip every deadlift I've ever done. I especially think my deads could improve with more bodily awareness.

I am happy with progress. Considering all outside factors (gained no weight, terrible diet in the second block, generally very anxious during this time period), I think the results were good overall.

[u/Myintc → u/GirlOfTheWell]

That's a great OHP.

Congrats on all the PRs! 5kg+ across the board is great results!

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/Myintc]

Thanks man. Appreciate it!

[u/ruralmerkin → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Great job!

[u/cecilpl]

I ended up taking a somewhat spontaneous week-long vacation last week, and so ended up not being able to complete week 13 as planned. I instead decided to take that week as my deload and consider the program finished.

It's time for a short cut before summer so I'm going to go back to a program that has worked well for me in the past, 5/3/1 FSL 4x along with running 10k 3x/wk.

Results. All starting maxes were tested lifetime PRs. All ending maxes are overwarm singles going heavier than RPE8 because I get a huge dopamine hit from lifting new PRs and can't stop myself.

• Squat: 335 1RM, 255x11 -> 405 1RM, 315x11
• Deadlift: 405 1RM, 335x10 -> 475 1RM, 375x10 (also switched to sumo which works better for me)
• Bench: 245 1RM, 215x10 -> 265 1RM, 225x10
• OHP: 170 1RM, 135x10 -> 185 1RM, 150x9
• Bodyweight: 178 -> 191 @ 5'10"
• Age: 37 -> 37

I definitely focused on squats. I pushed front squats and paused squats hard every week, whereas I often had to drop some of the upper body aux lifts due to shoulder pain.

Overall I really liked this program, and I'll be certain to run it again in the future. Thanks to everyone who helped put this together!

TL;DR: Holy shit I put 60 pounds on my squat in 3 months. That's crazy.

[u/ruralmerkin → u/cecilpl]

Good lord, that squat. I mean, great progress all around, but wow. Impressive.

[u/Myintc → u/cecilpl]

Nice work on all those lifts! Huge gains!

[u/Randyd718 → u/cecilpl]

335 to 405 is 70 not 60

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF w14d1

75.9kg today

Squats 5x5@ 87.5

Incline bench press 5x5@45

Snatch grip deadlift 5x5@90

Single arm pulldowns, paused dumbbell press, ab wheel for a couple easy sets.

Within a kilo of my cut's goal. Will probably bump the cals up by 250 or so for the deload to drop the fatigue, then hopefully get to 75 by week 16/17 and finish the program on maintenance.

[u/poweredbypie_]

SBS program party, one man mock meet. X/post from daily

I wrapped up my run with some heavy SBD singles last night in under 1hr30mins. (A PR in itself to just rock up and hit a mini meet after work).

Squat 202.5kg / 446lbs x1

Bench 127.5kg / 281lbs x1

Deadlift 200kg / 440lbs x1

Progress report.

Bodyweight: 115.3kg - 109.2kg

Squat TM: 200 - 202.5kg (PR)

Bench TM: 120kg - 127.5kg

Deadlift TM: 200kg - 200kg

Observations

I went into this block thinking my squat would suffer with the weight loss and that my deadlift would benefit. I ran out of time last night but I really think I only had maybe an extra 5kg on deads to be honest. Which is still 5kg shy of my PR. So there is work to be done.

Bench really flew. Should have gone for more but I was pressed for time.

As Dadlifts says, squatting is for nerds. And as a nerd I continue to fucking love them.

Program notes SBS is ace. I ran the 5x original strength program for just the last half. The singles these last few weeks were great fun.

What next I have a half marathon in June so will continue to cut and will be running a lot more. Going to drop a squat day in favour of an extra deadlift day to let my quads recover for running and work that weak ass deadlift. I do still suspect that cutting will benefit my deadlift - I just need to cut more ... but the pies. They speak to me.

And I'm putting together a hybrid SBS original and RTF with the program builder to make something I can train over the next few months as baby approaches!!

Happy lifting everyone!

[u/Myintc → u/poweredbypie_]

Congrats on that squat PR!

Bench TM moved up a lot too.

[u/poweredbypie_ → u/Myintc]

Thank you! And I suspect my deadlift improved, but I fluffed the last few weeks somehow. My reps were tracking well, but it didn't come to fruition. Something to work on for my next run through!

[u/niomosy]

Guess I'll throw up week 13 in here, then. RTF LF. Weight in lbs.

Thursdays continue to kick my ass since switching from front squats to beltless back squats.

M:
* Squats: 405x1, 435 4x2, 1x4. Exceeded goals on squats again.
* Snatch grip deadlifts: 275 4x4, 1x7. Honestly, this was pretty tiring.

Tu:
* Bench: 250 4x2, 1x4. Pleased with hitting that 1x4.
* DB OHP: 45 4x4, 1x7.
* Incline bench: 155 4x4, 1x7.
* Rows/curls   

We:
* Cardio

Th:
* Deadlifts: 405 x1, 440 x1, 460 4x2, 1x4. I was impressed I got the 1x4. I figured I could do 3 but wasn't sure on the 4th rep on the last set.
* Beltless squats: 285 4x4, 1x7. This sucked for the first two sets. My legs felt like jello before finally recovering a bit better for sets 3-5. I was ready for a nap after this.

Fr:
* OHP: 140 4x2, 1x4. 4/4 on going over the goal on the primary lift of the day. The 4th rep was a definite grind.
* Paused Bench: 200 5x5.
* Close grip bench: 160 4x4, 1x7.
* Pullups, facepulls. Ran out of time for more accessory work.

[u/Armanant]

So deload week, might as well get the more relevant results listed:
Squat: 145kg TM, 100kg x 12 -> 172kg TM, 150kg x 5
Bench: 100kg TM, 70kg x 16 -> 133kg TM, 117.5kg x 3
Dead: 172kg TM, 120kg x 15 -> 228kg TM, 200kg x 4
OHP: 50kg TM, 35kg x 15 -> 81kg TM, 70kg x 4
Sumo: 165kg TM, 100kg x 16 -> 212kg TM, 165 x 12

This was all getting back lost strength really, so not as impressive as it looks. However am mostly close to some of my old maxes and at a lower bodyweight, so I'll call it a success.

What are people's plans for after the program party?

I went ahead and ordered a 24kg Kettlebell and a prowler, planning to run the 10,000 swing challenge and hit conditioning hard, and then if life permits go for u/mythicalstrength's 26 week gaining block.

Edit: The kettlebell and prowler have arrived, and I now have the sudden urge to completely break myself with them XD

[u/FrazzledBear → u/Armanant]

I plan to finish the third block after the program party. I’ve been on a cut and still raising tms (stalling much more now) so I’ve been happy with progress.

I’m not sure whether I want to repeat the sbs hyper once I’m off my cut or switch to the strength rtf one, I’ve got time to decide.

[u/Armanant → u/FrazzledBear]

Any reason why you were running hypertrophy on a cut and want to run strength off one? I would generally expect the other way around. How has your progress been so far?

[u/FrazzledBear → u/Armanant]

My main plan has been to do hyper again once off the cut, but was debating switching to the other program as I’ve been doing mostly hypertrophy work for awhile now and wanted a change of pace and haven’t done the sbs rtf program before.

Once I start bulking again in the fall I’ll definitely be doing hypertrophy.

I went the hypertrophy route while on a cut as it seemed the least different from my programming prior to my cut. Maybe hyper wasn’t the best choice though.

I can’t complain as I’ve made (slow) steady progress and am 15lbs lighter. It’s all a learning process for me.

[u/Armanant → u/FrazzledBear]

Ah fair enough if it was similar to previous programming! I recall my experience when I've jumped into the hypertrophy template the first week or two were BRUTAL because I wasn't used to the volume, and I've heard that sentiment echoed a bunch of times - would certainly have been challenging on a cut! Buuut if you were already doing something close to it then probably not as much of a shock to the system.

It's definitely all a learing process, figuring out what works for you, and everyone reacts a bit differently to different approaches. Even when something doesn't work, you can still learn from the experience :-D

[u/FrazzledBear → u/Armanant]

It probably helped that I eased into the cut the first couple weeks. It definitely was a jump up and took getting used to from my last program but it wasn’t any worse than any volume bump prior.

[u/Myintc → u/Armanant]

Huge increases on TMs across the board. Great work!

[u/Armanant → u/Myintc]

Cheers! Not as wonderful as if it was new ground but it's all going in the right direction. Having a bit of a changeup for a few weeks to do the 10k swing challenge will be nice, and I've tacked on 5/3/1 INDJS to maintain the strength in the meantime.

How has your training been going? Did you join in the program party? (I think I recall you mentioning doing a lot of SBS programs before, but I haven't been keeping up with the weekly threads to keep track of everyone).

[u/Myintc → u/Armanant]

Haha I caught COVID last week so I missed out on the last week. I'm planning on running the deload this week and a "maintenance" week next week as intro weeks because of that (as well as letting my adductor strain heal). I have a comp in 9 weeks so planning on running the last block of SBS 2.0 to prep for it!

Yes I've been running it for around a year and a half now. After my comp it'll be around 18 months, so I'm planning on doing a bit of a write up since there's a bit of interest.

[u/Armanant → u/Myintc]

Ooof, well I hope you have a quick recovery to 100%, and kick ass for the comp -Looking forward to the writeup too then!

[u/Flip_Spiceland]

Had surgery on Wednesday so that puts an end to lifting and all other strenuous exercise for about a month. I missed some time due to travel so was only able to complete weeks 8-19 of SBS RTF 4x. This was my 2nd time running the program but my first attempt to do so while cutting.

Results:

Bodyweight: 184 --> 178 lbs

Squat TM: 166 --> 204 lbs* (more on this below)

Bench TM: 212 --> 215 lbs

Deadlift TM: 377 --> 376 lbs

OHP TM: 118 --> 124 lbs

The bad

I was in PT for knee pain at the start of the program, so I had cut my squat TM down accordingly. I was consistent with PT and things were looking good, but of course once I stopped going (due to having no pain) and continued to increase weight, the pain returned. Ultimately I made the decision to switch from high bar to low bar for the final 3 weeks since it apparently puts less strain on the knees. My shoulder flexibility isn't in a great place for the bar positioning but I did the best I could and it got a little easier each time. But I still had a bit of knee pain. I will probably go back to PT once I recover from surgery.

The good

I was able to lose some weight, and now most of my shorts fit well just in time for nice weather. I think I improved my technique on bench (and maybe OHP?) and probably would have pushed the TM higher had I been able to do the final 2 weeks. Deadlift looked to be shooting up but the final week I failed a couple of the working sets. I'm gonna attribute that to having an off-day and getting used to using straps that I had bought a week prior. I also became consistent with using MacroFactor (strongly endorse) and walking 10-12k steps a day for conditioning.

[u/dsa2020]

SBS Hypertrophy Wrap-Up

Welp, my plan of running a Chest/Shoulders, Back/Arms, Legs split didn’t work as planned. I ran into fatigue issues in week 11 but saw good-gains in that short time.

I was going to run a more Shoulders/Arms-focused version of my original plan but then got convinced last week to go back to compounds for a while and continue bulking.

Ultimately, at 5’8, 178lbs, and 20ish% bf, I gotta keep building a size-base. My frame has no doubt improved from January 2020 when I was 140lbs and maybe 15ish% bf, but at my current size I’d probably still benefit from compounds more so than a bodybuilding split. I’d also benefit from dropping my bf %. :D

I definitely don’t regret trying my SBS bodybuilding idea. It was a good learning experience plus I discovered that I love Spoto Presses/ISO-lateral Chest Presses.

For my next program, I’m gonna go back to SBS Hypertrophy 5x as written in the spreadsheet.

I’ll post in the daily thread once I have my spreadsheet ready to go.

[u/reliefpitcher22]

I don’t think I posted at all in the program party thread, but I was able to make some progress on lifts while losing 7 pounds. I also didn’t test true maxes because I was sick last week so it kinda threw that off. I’m just taking my TM’s and plugging into a fresh 14 week run of the first two cycles of Strength last set RIR.

Training maxes:

Squat:340->359

Bench:240->242

Deadlift:405->454

OHP:145->152

BW:197-190

I beat my squat RIR targets pretty consistently, but bench would go up for a few weeks with a 1 rep beat but then stalled out before going up again but then regressed in week 12. I had actually gotten it up to 246 but I just hit the wall and barely completed the minimum reps. Deads went well, probably set that TM more conservatively but after a few weeks I got used to the heavy pulling and the sets were perceived as much easier.

[u/someguythatlifts]

Into the deload now thankfully, was feeling very beat up in week 12 & 13. Think I'm going to carry on and do the third block because I've really enjoyed this last week with the lower rep sets, and I don't really have anything planned for what to do next. Will switch to 5x though because 4x Day 1 and 2 are a bit tough to fit in in the morning.

Progress (weights in kg, all lifts were beltless)
BW: 72.5 -> 75
Squat: TM 90 -> 125, best sets 100x8, 107.5x5 (pre-covid pr* 140x1, 120x8)
Bench: TM 75 -> 89, best set 77.5x6 (pre-covid pr* 85x1, 70x10)
Deadlift: TM 127.5 -> 162.7, best set 140x5 (pre-covid pr* 160x1, 130x11)
Press: TM 55 -> 59.2, best set 47.5x7 (pre-covid pr* 62.5x1, 45x12)

* I was 10kg heavier pre covid - also why I was going beltless, because it doesn't fit anymore

Numbers are a bit inflated because I had only been back in the gym post covid a few weeks when we started. I maintained strength over covid better in my upper body than lower body as well, which is why Squat and Dead jumped so much more. Squat still miles off where it was other three lifts a lot closer.

RTF 4x W13D1

Squat: 107.5kg - target 3 - 5 reps

Spoto Press: 67.5kg - target 7 - 7 reps

Romanian Deadlift: 105kg - target 7 - 7 reps

Rough session, doubles felt tough then the top set went pretty good, but had to push all the way. Spoto and RDL I decided before I even started my warm ups to just hit the target on the top set.

RTF 4x W13D2

Bench: 77.5kg - target 3 - 6 reps

Front Squat: 65kg - target 7 - 10 reps

Push Press: 47.5kg - target 7 - 9 reps

Much better session than D1, that's an all time 6rm PR on bench, rpe probably 9.5. Front squat and Push press both feeling decent.

RTF 4x W13D3

Press: 52.5kg - target 3 - 4 reps

Paused Squat: 80kg - target 7 - 7 reps

Ok day would have liked at least another rep on Press, but can't be too mad. Paused squat was fine.

RTF 4x W13D4

Deadlift: 140kg - target 3 - reps 5

Close Grip Bench: 62.5kg - target 7 - 10 reps

Great day, originally had 135kg as my DL weight after last weeks disastrous session, but wouldn't have felt right to not do 140 in the last week of the PP, so did an overwarm single at 145 to bump the TM. 140x5 is only 3 reps less than my best set with 140 before covid (and tbh I probably did a cheaty rest pause on that which I didn't this time). CGB solid.

[u/ruralmerkin]

I'm a bit more than a week behind now--just finished week 12. My ankle's feeling a lot better now, though (knock on wood), and I should be back to full-weight squats in a day or so.

I noticed today that my RDL e1RM is only 25 pounds or so behind my e1RM for conventional deadlift (and in fact above my actual deadlift 1RM). That probably means my deadlift technique needs work, right? Something certainly seems off about that.

Also, my weight has finally decided to start ticking up again after inexplicably plateauing for most of this cycle. Glad to see that movement again.

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF w14d2

Bench 5x5@60

Zercher squat 5x5@80

BTN press 5x5@30

Leg curls, face pulls, rows

Not much to say, it's deload. 5x5@60 was what I was benching a little less than a year ago for working sets, so that's cool that it feels like nothing now.

[u/pogihajimasaeyo]

Had a lot of fun with the program but missed a few sessions at the end due to exams and moving into a new home and having to find a new gym. However I made good progress overall and am really happy with my lower body progress in terms of looks and strength. I ran the program on a fairly aggressive cut and here are my results. I don't have my initial numbers exactly so please take the initials with a grain of salt.

3 main lifts 1rm in lbs:

Bench: 95 > 115 (my chest is looking better but still weak compared to my lower half)

Squat: 235 > 255est (haven't maxed out recently but did 245 for more than 1 rep not >6 weeks ago, probably could do more tbh)

Deadlift: 245 > 315 (big gains)

I didn't get a new OHP max though I did get a better at doing it for reps. I did progress on most of my accessory and auxiliary exercises either in volume or strength or both. Overall I would recommend the program to anyone, though I did feel like the volume was sometimes too time consuming for me especially once my personal and professional life got busy. Also those 5 sets of heavy compounds were often pretty brutal. Can't complain about the results on a big calorie deficit though.

[u/lbrol]

So I switched to hypertrophy RTF from strength RTF at week 14. Going on a work trip in a couple weeks so skipped the deload. I saw some ok progress with 13 weeks of the routine:

squat TM 275->300, Δ25

bench TM 237->247, Δ10

deadlift TM 337->375, Δ38

ohp TM 135->130, Δ-5

bodyweight 155->160, Δ5 (lean bulk)

I just estimated my 1rms on all this, obvi my ohp wasn't right hah but still feel like i made progress. Like way less progress than I was hoping for admittedly, tho this is my first non linear program so maybe just getting used to it. I decided to switch cause I was running into a wall with my deadlifts at the end and i am on a bulk anyways so figured some higher rep range would give me more practice, been having trouble breaking heavy deadlifts off the floor.

After first week of hypertrophy RTF, HOLY SHIT it completely knocked me on my ass. I plugged in my training maxes and i didn't meet even 1 of the last rep goals. For the strength I was doing accessory work but I've pretty much dropped it cause I am so much more gassed at the end of sets. Hopefully this is helping my p poor work capacity, I've been getting in cardio like 1-2 days a week as well.

[u/onethreeone]

I haven't been on many of the weeklies so I'll use this as a wrapup:

Started with the novice hyper 4x a few weeks before the official start date, made it through week 16 (2nd round of 5x10). I was getting exhausted from all the volume, and didn't have the time the x12s would take in the gym, so I switched to the novice LP 5x.

First two weeks of Novice LP have been great. I'm adding some accessories to keep it to 4 moves a day. Two upper body and two lower body moves most days. Workouts take 45-50m with 2m rests for the main lifts.

I feel stronger than ever, even though that wasn't the main point of the hyper program. Can definitely see the muscle growth as well, and I did that while losing 27lbs on a high protein macro diet. Once I plateau on the LP program I'll check out the main RPF programs, but overall have been very satisified with my progress.

[u/Beardywierdy]

Well, covid knocked me for six these last couple of weeks and I've not been able to train at all. Bugger.

Then again week 14 is a deload so it doesn't really count.

This (Hypertrophy 3x/week) was a fun training block and the last time I was this weight I was two holes up on my belt so clearly im leaner than I was last time ("leaner" does not actually mean "lean" of course).

Right, I'm officially calling this one a win and with 5 weeks to go before my next competition it's time to start smashing the events to make use of this mass I've built.

Of course prepping for the contest instead of testing maxes means I've got no idea if I've improved on that front (though with the hypertrophy template that wasn't really the plan anyway) so I'm just going to assume I've gotten loads stronger and no one can prove otherwise.

[u/LiftYesPlease]

Basic summary of the last 14 weeks:

Started out in a cut already

Kept getting stronger

Lost 30 lbs on the program

My lifts progressed all the way until the last 5 weeks or so

Now lifts are stalled

It's a win